Weeknight Lentil Meaty, Meatless Tacos

I love to cook and I really enjoy making food that promotes health. Luckily, I found a plant-based culinary arts professional certification program, Rouxbe. It's fabulous! Honestly, I thought that I knew almost all there was to know about cooking . . . just ask my friends that have called me the "Veggie Nazi." Well, I have learned A TON. Turns out, I've been steaming my broccoli wrong All. This. Time. Me! The broccoli hugger. Thanks, Rouxbe for coming to the rescue of my cruciferous friends.

This simple, yet filling meal came out of a recent assignment to find a creative use for legumes. I put this dish together from what I had in my fridge and pantry. So easy. So tasty. So very healthy.

Weeknight Lentil "Meat" Tacos

Lentil Taco Filling

1 Cup Cooked Lentils (I used canned, Bioitalia brand: organic, BPA free can, but lentils are very inexpensive and easy to make from scratch)

1/2 Onion, diced

1/2 Bell Pepper, diced (I used red for color!)

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2-3 teaspoons olive oil (can omit and use a few teaspoons of vegetable broth if desired)

Salt, to taste (can omit if following salt-free diet)

1-2 teaspoons cumin (to taste)

1-2 teaspoons paprika (to taste)

Pepper, to taste

Accompaniments

Tacos! I made taco salad shells with flour and corn tortillas in the oven for my family, but I actually prefer just to use a crisp piece of lettuce as the "shell." (This site has some great options for making hard shells if you don't have a form.)

Mexican hot sauce or spice. Everything is more enjoyable with a little heat. I used Tabasco Chipotle.

Fresh Lime

Heat oil (or broth) over low-med heat. Add onions and peppers and a pinch of salt. Sauté until onions become slightly translucent and peppers soften. Add garlic. Sauté for a few minutes. Add drained lentils, a bit of cumin, paprika, and pepper. Stir to combine and taste to adjust seasonings; adding more salt, pepper, cumin or/and paprika if necessary. Partially smash lentils with your spoon or spatula so that that the texture is sticky and well-combined.